Page 6 — THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Thursday, March 8, 2012
Anti-Limbaugh petition calls on WGAN to pull show BY DAVID CARKHUFF THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN
This morning, a group of Maine women will deliver a petition to the Portland Radio Group offices in South Portland to demand that "The Rush Limbaugh Show" be removed from the air. Limbaugh caused a national stir when he called Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown University law student, a "slut" and a "prostitute" after she spoke to members of Congress urging insurance coverage for contraceptives. On Saturday, Limbaugh apologized for his on-air comments, but critics continue to pressure radio stations and their advertisers to drop the conservative talk show host. "I just don't think they understand that the tide has changed. Twenty years ago people put up with this, but people are not standing for it anymore," said Annie Finch of Falmouth, who is spearheading this morning's petition drive to the offices of 560 WGAN Newsradio, the station that carries "The Rush Limbaugh Show." By 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Finch said her group had gathered 5,307 signatures. This morning, on International Women's Day, Finch said her group planned to deliver the signatures to Cary Pahigian, president and general manager of the Portland Radio Group based in South Portland, which includes WGAN. Yesterday, as the controversy continued to mount, Pahigian said he had no intention of pulling Limbaugh's show off the air. "No, we will not be removing the show," he said. "The show is on because listeners demand it," Pahigian said. "He has been a mainstay of the format." Pahigian also described "over-the-top language" from callers demanding the show's removal, saying many were evidently calling or emailing from out of state, and many appeared to be mobilized by social networking sites. "We are taking feedback, the feedback is running about 50-50, I would say," Pahigian told The Portland Daily Sun Wednesday afternoon. "We have openly embraced every caller, we have openly embraced every emailer," Pahigian said, describing an attempt to respond "person-by-person" to the people contacting the radio station. Because of Limbaugh's comments about Fluke, several local businesses have stopped advertising on Limbaugh's show, Finch noted. Wednesday afternoon, her list of defecting advertisers included Port-
“No, we will not be removing the show,. ... The show is on because listeners demand it. He has been a mainstay of the format.” — Cary Pahigian, president and general manager of the Portland Radio Group land Ovations; Norway Savings Bank; Cunningham Security in Yarmouth; RSVP Discount Beverage in Portland; and Downeast Energy in Brunswick. Pahigian said the radio station, as of Wednesday, had not lost any advertisers outright, but rather that WGAN was accommodating advertisers who wanted their ads run during shows other than Limbaugh's. "Locally, there have been a handful of advertisers who have said, 'With the controversy swirling, we'd like to step aside,'" and not air during the show, he said. Pahigian agreed with other critics that Limbaugh should not have personally attacked Fluke — "What he said was wrong and stupid and ridiculous," Pahigian said. But he noted other commentators have been guilty of similarly inflammatory comments, including Ed Schultz and Bill Maher. (Maher, on Twitter yesterday, defended Limbaugh: "Hate to defend #RushLimbaugh but he apologized, liberals looking bad not accepting. Also hate intimidation by sponsor pullout," he wrote.) Finch said "hate speech and misogyny" have no place in the public discourse. "I'm a writer, and I value language, and I find hate speech to be a force that weakens human dignity. I just have had enough. What he said about Sandra Fluke was completely unacceptable," she said. The petition to WGAN reads in part: "If Rush were using such blatant and unabashed slurs about a racial or ethnic group, his repulsive vitriol would never be broadcast. We request that WGAN, which currently has one female host and 15 male hosts, show its support for the women of Maine by pulling Limbaugh's show from the airwaves effective immediately — and replacing his noon to 3 p.m. radio show with one that has a woman host.” Pahigian said the question of censorship had been raised. He asked, "Who is the ultimate censor of what we say or write?" He added that he had received calls
P a u lP in kh a m A u to R ep a ir NO LONGER AT
B a ck B a y A u to
Now located at 193 Presumpscot St., Portland
B U YIN G L A T E M O D E L C A R S. B O D Y D A M A G E A N D T E C H N IC A L P R O B L E M S O K A Y! (207)756 -4817 30 Years Experience Domestic & Foreign Dependable Auto Repair
Portland Fiber Gallery & Weaving Studio Spinning & Weaving Felting & Dyeing
Ask About Classes & Supplies
50 Cove Street Portland • 780-1345 Open Tuesday - Saturday 11 - 5 Visit the website for directions and class schedule
www.portlandfibergallery.com
“I’m a writer, and I value language, and I find hate speech to be a force that weakens human dignity. I just have had enough.” — Annie Finch of Falmouth, petition organizer from supporters of the show, noting, "There's been a rallying point. Listenership is certainly up." Finch said her group would "keep up the pressure," regardless of how today's meeting with WGAN management fares. "I wanted to put my foot down and say, 'This is it,'" she said. Over the years, Pahigian said he's witnessed "a few flare-ups" involving outrage at on-air radio hosts and their comments, including Limbaugh, but he said what's different today is technology. "The game has changed now with social networking and the Internet," he said. As one example of social networking spreading the Limbaugh controversy, Goodwill Industries of Northern New England, on its Facebook page, wrote about it this week, stating that a branch of the charity would discontinue public-service announcements during the show. "Goodwill is a non-partisan nonprofit organization," a post on the local charity's Facebook page stated. "Public service announcements are not paid advertisements and should not be considered endorsements of a particular political or ideological point of view. The Goodwill public service announcement, that aired on stations affiliated with the Rush Limbaugh show, aired without Goodwill’s knowledge or consent. No further Goodwill public service announcements will be aired without our permission." The post on the local Goodwill's Facebook page (which prompted two comments in support and one in opposition) did not apply to the Greater Portland region, where PSA's aren't aired during Limbaugh's show, explained Michelle Smith, communications manager for Goodwill Industries of Northern New England. Goodwill of Greater Washington, D.C. had a PSA on "The Rush Limbaugh Show" in that market, she explained. "We're just spreading the word for them," she said. "It just kind of blew up for them, so they asked that we share that message."
Girl Scouts of the USA 100TH BIRTHDAY
PANCAKE BREAKFAST March 11, 2012 ~ 8-10am Applebee’s Restaurant 1031 Brighton Avenue, Portland Sponsored by: 316 Infantry Association to benefit Girl Scouts of Maine Troops 2051 & 1712 Contact: CSM Joel Chapman at 775-0284 for tickets as RSVP’s are required
Market Survey Inc is seeking candidates for a rewarding career as a
CSR/ACCOUNT REP Responsibilities: • Providing Information for Potential Members • Update Current Members Account Information • Assist in Setup & Troubleshooting of New Member Equipment • General Sales & Marketing Support Efforts Qualifications: • College degree is a strong plus. (High School Diploma / GED required) • Excellent verbal and written communication skills required. • Flexible Schedule (nights, weekends and holidays are a must). • Ability to multitask • 1+ year experience in a customer service environment is a strong plus. • Knowledge of computers and Microsoft software required (Word/Excel) We offer a starting salary of $14 - $17 per hour. (PT/FT) Interested candidates should forward resumes to : entrylevel00@gmail.com